Ekata: Shield of Galeem
by zombierooster
Summary: This is just a test preface for a SSBU idea I'm working on. If it gets enough face, I'll continue it
1. Preface I

**Preface Part One: Shield of Galeem**

"Are you well, my Hero King? You seem distressed."

A question I became accustomed to—like clockwork, my dear Caeda would rest her innocent eyes over me every morning in the garden, her face riddled with concern. And just the same, I would feed her the common front of nescience. Her recollection of that tragic day was nonexistent, and it seemed only I endured the torment of harboring such visions. A dream, perhaps… yet, it all felt so palpable; the hollow hostile winds, the tainted toxic air, darkening skies, my friend dying in my arms... Desolation swept Ekata into an abysmal wasteland of its former brotherhood, and unthreaded a new world akin to hell itself.

The memory, as clear and vivid as if it had happened just hours prior…

_It was a day of battle among countries and sub-worlds, a day of prideful people practicing for a tradition of friendly tournament banter. I personally was looking forward to our annual showcase of skill among our lands. Bright and early, I requested Mario to join me in meditation and a quick warmup. He had happily accepted, and made his way to my castle's west courtyard in mere minutes from the distant Mushroom Kingdom. From behind the grand iron gates, I already felt the lush warmth of the welcoming sun, and the cool breeze of Spring's whistling bloom. But no sooner had I immersed myself, I noticed Mario conversing with unidentified company. Slowly, I slipped beneath the arch in hidden surveillance. I managed to get a better look at the strange unclad alien-like guest—fish-eyed, broad-faced, lanky; his skin the color of craft paste, carrying a stern frown between his cratered cheeks. He stood a tower over the stached former plumber as if he were demanding something. And just as I steered my gaze south, I noticed Mario concealing his folded hand behind him._

_I continued to observe from a distance, when a sudden brawl broke lose. I felt my feet ground itself, my chest heavy. And before I knew it, I was jumping to Mario's aide. The battle was quick, the creature was agile. Mario fell helplessly at his feet, triggering my reach towards my sword. With haste, I drew my weapon just as the creature reached for the stone Mario had dropped. Intercepting, I blocked him from my fallen alley. With the tip of my blade to his chest, I warded the wounded, and threatened the alien with austerity. _

_"Leave this place, and no harm shall come to you." My voice, firm and commanding, seemed to have washed over this towering ivory; a sudden smell of metallic quickly smothered the air. _

_"You know not what you're dealing with. Give me the stone, cretin." He asserted in a raspy pit tone, his hand stretched out for his token. But I was in no position to fork over what Mario so deeply protected with his life. Yet, I needed to find myself a diversion or a trail of escape soon, for Mario's sake. _

_As he closed in, I found myself surging with energy, prepared to battle, until a spark of light pulsated over our heads, the clouds caving in. And in that instant, a sense of imminence tightened me rigid. _


	2. Preface II

**Preface Part Two:**

_"It is too late." The alien sighed, his head cocked up to the sky with an expression of despair. "Your foolishness will cost you and your fellow mortals a dire price. For that, you'll have no one to blame but yourselves." He veered his head southward, his glassy opaque eyes glowing hot red as he gestured with his fingers a symbol out of nothingness. And out of nothingness, a holographic projector emitted from his palm a control panel. Within seconds, the soil beneath my feet rumbled, and from the wrestling grove west of me emerged a spacecraft. Its engine whaled a windy whipping across the terrain, its size encompassing a massive shadow above me. I shielded Mario from the cutting gust, ramming my sword into the earth for leverage. The mystery creature left with haste, leaving nothing behind but a beaten soul, and words of misery. _

_"Come on, I got you." I slung the beaten jumpman over my shoulder, and swiped the stone with much curiosity. Its rhombus, shimmering diamond-like allure captivated my eyes long enough for me to nearly miss a giant mass crashing into the horizon._

_Boom,_

_Like a nuke splitting the world in two, the mass collided into the colosseum, running deep an earthquake that couldn't keep me standing. I dropped the stone, and a gush of red smoke avalanched into us, the spread of the mass emitting its fumes. As I shielded my eyes from debris, the drums of my ears thundered sharply, and before I knew it, I witnessed a vision that ran chills down my spine._

_The fall of Erkata… in a flash…_

_An apocalyptic wasteland reflected in my tented eyes, my mouth agape. The remnants of my dear land looked back at me a black, barren emptiness crying in anguish, starved of life. A blanket of solemn dark clouds hovered over me, and a charcoal haze screened the dry, thick air. Was I the last to stand? The sole survivor? My kingdom, my friends, my family—surely, they survived!_

_Across my feet, the glowing stone sat, my fingers stumbling over to pick it up. I felt jetted, a sudden sensation leaving my mind fazed, body flimsy. Clearly, it must have been from shock, the ruin of my country draping me in an instant. But it was more than that; it was as if, my body was being torn in two. Just as I grabbed the now smoky gem, my comrade immediately vanished off my shoulders, and my spirit practically lifted from its vessel. _

_I was sashaying in a state of limbo._

_The briefness in time penciled me in minutes prior, the juxtaposition of space and reality jarred before my very eyes. I was standing behind the gates of my courtyard again where I noticed Mario meditating. Anxious, I dashed to him, my lungs quickly out of breath. _

_"Whoa-ho! Someone's-a in a rush to take out-a completion, aye?"_

_"Mario… where is he?!"_

_"Hmm? Where is-a who?"_

_Everything, clear, pleasant, sunny… It was as if it never happened. _

_This was three years ago…_


	3. Feedback?

Sorry for the chapter mix up guys; it should be fixed now.

Leave a comment on what you think ^^ I'll leave the two parts of the preface up for a while to see if it makes an impression.

Thanks for dropping by!


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